Commanders’ trademark application finally approved

The Washington Commanders received approval earlier this month for its trademark for “Washington Commanders,” though a few hurdles remain before the name is officially registered. 

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued approval to the team on Sept. 6, months after the office initially denied the team’s request on the grounds that the name would likely be confused with an existing trademark and existing applications. But that rejection was seen as more of a procedural step rather than a legitimate threat that the Commanders could lose out on a trademark of the name they rebranded to in February 2022. 

Once the Commanders filed an appeal of the rejection, the trademark office found the team’s revised application — handled by NFL attorney Bonnie Jarrett — to be satisfactory. Still, before the trademark is officially registered, the trademark office allows for a 30-day opposition period in which people can oppose the trademark. Those applications will then be reviewed, which could lead to a further delay. 

But the Commanders expressed confidence that their trademark would ultimately be registered in May when the trademark was initially rejected. 

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who is not affiliated with the team, also said the Commanders likely wouldn’t face a problem in the long haul. 

“As someone that works around USPTO refusals for a living, I would really like my chances here (for Washington),” Gerben said in May. “I would take this case on in a heartbeat. There are going to (be) a lot of opportunities to get this resolved.”

The USPTO has [finally] approved the @Commanders’ trademark for registration.

It has been 20 months since the application was filed.

The USPTO had initially refused the Commanders’ bid to trademark its name on grounds that similar trademarks already existed.

But an argument… pic.twitter.com/tZHa06hbgQ

— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) September 28, 2023